MCDOT Gives Huntley Officials Update On Algonquin Road Extension Project

The McHenry County Division of Transportation has been working on plans to extend Algonquin Road for the last 10 years.

While no one knows when the project actually will happen — or how it will be funded — McHenry County Division of Transportation is moving ahead by laying the groundwork.

Walter Dittrich, design manager with McHenry County Division of Transportation, gave Huntley village trustees an update Thursday on what’s happening with the project.

The plan calls for extending Algonquin Road from Route 47 to Briar Hill Road at an estimated cost of $56 million to $60 million. McHenry County has no money set aside for the project for at least five years, Dittrich said.

McHenry County has been working on the project since 2000. The idea was to have developers pay the cost of the extension, since several subdivisions were expected to add upward of 2,000 homes to the area, he said.

“Obviously, things have changed a little, and the chance of that happening is extremely low,” Dittrich said.

The Algonquin Road project now must be weighed against other priorities within the county, he said.

Meanwhile, Dittrich said the county is working to get things in order for the project.

A major sticking point had been the road being built on a portion of the HUM Prairie, named for the Huntley-Union-Marengo electric rail line. The county reached a compromise with the McHenry County Conservation District, which oversees the prairie, that preserves much of the land while allowing the county to build the extension, he said.

A few things will be happening in the next few months that will help move the project forward, Dittrich said. Specifically:

• McHenry County Division of Transportation will hold a hearing in late September to give the public a chance to comment on the plan.
• McHenry County Division of Transportation, McHenry County and Huntley need to reach an intergovernmental agreement that will allow the road to be extended through a portion of the HUM Prairie.
• McHenry County Division of Transportation will apply for nature preserve status of HUM Prairie.